Royal Canadian Air Force CH-146 Griffon

The CH-146 Griffon is a Utility Tactical Transport Helicopter (UTTH) that has been in service since 1995. The Griffon's primary role is tactical transportation of troops and material. It is also used at home and abroad for search and rescue (SAR) missions, casualty evacuation, counter-drug operations and more.

Griffons based at 8 Wing Trenton are used predominantly on SAR missions. They can be equipped with a hoist that enables them to extract people and a cargo hook that lets them transport cargo from almost any terrain.

The Griffon can also be equipped with a Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) system, a Wescam MX-15 electro-optical imaging system, a powerful Nitesun searchlight, armoured floors and crew seats.

The aircraft can carry up to 13 people (two pilots, a flight engineer and 10 passengers) and has a maximum gross weight of nearly 5,400 kilograms. The Griffon can reach speeds up to 260 kilometres per hour.